It’s that time of year again… Last week’s Covered Bridge Festival was the official kick-off of my 2018 show season. My fall schedule is already packed, including two shows coming up in the next week. First up – this weekend I’ll be at the Mt. Lebanon Artists’ Market, a wonderful upscale arts festival, on Saturday and Sunday, September 22nd and 23rd. The Artists’ Market takes place in the Mt. Lebanon Business District at Washington Rd. and Academy Ave. I may even bring an original or two for sale! Then on Thursday night (September 27th) from 7 to 9 pm, I will be part…

I have a title!!!! After much thought and collaboration with Tom and close friends, I settled on something short and sweet, but one that says it all – “Dear Santa.” Tom also proposed the subtitle “Letters from a Child’s Heart,” but we decided to keep it simple. As I promised last week, I want to show you some of the things I’ve included in the painting that have a special meaning or symbolism for me. As I was designing the painting, my first thoughts were that I wanted a living-room setting. Santa liked the idea of looking directly at the viewer while holding…

Is it cold in here, or is it just me? Even with all the 90-degree days this week, I’m feeling a chill in the air… maybe it’s just wishful thinking. Or maybe it’s because my mind has been on the North Pole lately as I put the finishing touches on my latest Santa painting. Try to picture the scene… After a busy afternoon making toys in his workshop at the North Pole, Santa takes a well-deserved break. This is his favorite time of day, and he settles into his favorite chair by the glowing fire and enjoys a late afternoon…

Aria turned 2 years old this week! We celebrated by taking her back to one of her favorite places – the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum. It’s one of the best indoor educational playgrounds I know. Not surprisingly, her favorite part is the area with the easels and paints. (Obviously the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree!) It was very entertaining to watch her at work. She threw her whole self into it… including painting her hands and her face with all of the colors!  If there is such a thing, it looks like Aria has inherited the Artist Gene from Grandma!…